Arsenal could help Saka hit Salah levels with late bid for £100m “machine”

While they’re yet to get over the finishing line in the Premier League, and didn’t exactly put on a show at Old Trafford, Arsenal still have a squad packed with talent.

For example, the likes of Gabriel Magalhaes, William Saliba, Declan Rice, Jurrien Timber and David Raya would get into most teams around the world.

Moreover, Andrea Berta and Co have only helped improve Mikel Arteta’s team this summer with the potentially game-changing additions of Viktor Gyokeres and Martin Zubimendi.

However, without a doubt, the Gunners’ most important player is Bukayo Saka, and if the board want to help him reach the level of Mohamed Salah in the coming seasons, they should go out and sign an international they were linked with earlier this summer.

How Saka stacks up to Salah

While it’s become increasingly difficult to deny the fact that Saka is a world-class player in recent years, he’s still not quite on the same level as Salah.

For example, in 37 appearances last season, totalling 2619 minutes, the Hale End superstar scored 12 goals and provided 14 assists.

That means that, despite missing almost four months of action through injury, the Gunners’ talismanic winger averaged a goal involvement every 1.42 games, or every 100.73 minutes.

While that is a simply sensational rate of return, the Liverpool legend still beat, and quite comfortably at that.

In his 52 appearances for the Reds last season, totalling 4501 minutes, the Egyptian King scored 34 goals and provided 23 assists for good measure.

In other words, the former AS Roma star maintained an outrageously impressive average of 1.09 goal involvements every game, or one every 78.96 minutes.

With numbers like that and a Premier League medal to show for it, it’s no surprise that the 33-year-old is among the favourites for the Ballon d’Or.

So, while it’s clear that Saka is a world-class player, it’s also evident he is not quite on Salah’s level yet.

However, Arteta and Co could help him get far closer by signing an incredibly talented player they’ve already been linked with this summer: Morgan Rogers.

Why Rogers could help Saka reach Salah level numbers

Now, Saka undoubtedly has the ability to make things happen and to create chances for himself – we’ve seen as much over the years – but to get even close to the level of Salah, he’ll need elite teammates to help him, which is where Rogers comes in.

While the Aston Villa ace is not currently being linked with Arsenal, he was earlier this summer, albeit for an enormous price of £100m.

However, while that is an outrageous sum of money, the Englishman might just be worth it, especially as he could be someone who helps the Gunners’ talisman close the gap on the Liverpool star, and the primary way he’d do that is through his own output.

Despite playing for a team that finished outside the top five last season, the Halesowen-born “machine,” as dubbed by The Athletic’s Jacob, managed to score 14 goals and provide 16 assists in 54 appearances, totalling 4496 minutes.

In other words, the often “unstoppable” 23-year-old, as dubbed by former Liverpool defender turned pundit Jamie Carragher, maintained a goal involvement every 1.8 games, or every 149.86 minutes.

Just imagine the Claret and Blue dynamo playing behind the Hale Ender in this Arsenal side; he’d be providing chance after chance for him to score, and then, on top of that, his own finishing ability would likely see the Ealing-born maestro supercharge his own assist tally.

Moreover, the former Middlesbrough gem is impressively versatile and can play out on the left, which, given his effectiveness in front of goal, would force opposition defenders to stop double and triple-teaming the Hale Ender, in turn allowing him more space to work his magic.

Ultimately, Rogers’ ability in front of goal, combined with his positional versatility, could make him the perfect teammate for Saka, and someone who could help him bridge the gap with Salah in the coming seasons.